A great number of people around the world enjoy fishing. Whether fishing for food or for the sport of it, the calmness and serenity of the sport coupled with the excitement of landing “the big one” makes fishing a popular pastime. As would be expected with the wide spread popularity and lengthy history of fishing, there also exists a wide variety of different kinds of natural and artificial fishing lures. Artificial bait and lures are typically designed to mock a fish's natural food and entice the fish to strike. While artificial lures offer many advantages over such natural or “live” bait, it is commonly accepted that catching fish is easier to accomplish with natural bait. Therefore there is a continuing need to develop more life-like artificial bait which provides higher and higher levels of attraction various types of fish.
Additionally, the majority of lures available are for smaller fish, making fishing for bass or other large fish more difficult. While smaller lures work, they suffer from some distinct disadvantages. Often there is a decreased chance of the large fish striking due to the small size and if the fish does strike the smaller lure, there is a diminished chance of setting the hook. The lightweight construction of the hook and interconnecting components can also increase the risk of losing the fish while trying to reel it in and increase the risk of getting the lure caught on submerged plants or other debris.
Various types of artificial lures intended for use with different sizes and types of fish and for use in varying fishing conditions exist, including jigs, surface lures, spoon lures, plugs, artificial flies, spinnerbait, and swimbait. Each attempts to provide a more effective way to attract the fish, appear more life-like, conceal the hook, or a combination of each. Examples of some of these lures can be seen by reference in several U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 2,997,804, issued in the name of Creason, Sr., et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,337, issued in the name of Kress; U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,588, issued in the name of Hindermyer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,931, issued in the name of Marshall; and, U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,220, issued in the name of King.
Additionally, various designs for fishing lures exist as can be seen by example in U.S. Pat. Nos. D 255,703, issued in the name of Kent; D 278,926, issued in the name of Bagley; and, D 409,271, issued in the name of Norton.
While these devices may accomplish their specific intended purpose, each suffers from one (1) or more disadvantage or deficiency with respect to design, function, or effectiveness. In particular, the previous solutions typically lack the ability to modify the lure for a specific situation or setting. Furthermore, many of the prior attempts fair to provide effective means to prevent entanglement of the lure during the casting and reeling in process performed to attract the fish. Accordingly, there remains a need for a means by which a fishing lure, particularly for large fish, can overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.